


Waiting

by HixyStix



Series: 2020 Kalluzeb Appreciation Week [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Post-Episode: s03e21-22 Zero Hour, Short One Shot, nothing but fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:00:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23934181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HixyStix/pseuds/HixyStix
Summary: Someonehas to patch up Kallus after his escape.  Zeb volunteers.
Relationships: Alexsandr Kallus/Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios
Series: 2020 Kalluzeb Appreciation Week [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1714975
Comments: 18
Kudos: 130
Collections: Kalluzeb appreciation week 2020.





	Waiting

**Author's Note:**

> This fills the prompt "Tender" for the 2020 Kalluzeb Appreciation Week.
> 
> Be advised: gratuitous use of "ya" instead of "you" ahead. Don't ask me why I felt this needed to happen here and in none of my other fics.

“Ya gotta sit _still_ ,” Zeb chided, wiping Kallus’s brow with an alcohol swab, trying to get it clean so he could put a bacta patch on it.

“I _am_ still. It’s your ship that’s bouncing around. How have you held it together this long?” Kallus tried to glare at Zeb, but the effect was somewhat lessened by the puffy black eye and swollen lip that made it look like he was pouting.

Zeb grinned, amused. He knew Kallus was more angry at himself for getting caught and inadvertently leading Thrawn to Atollon than at Zeb and the _Ghost._ “Not everyone has full-time maintenance crews like your Imperial ships. Here, everyone pitches in to keep her running. S’pose you’ll have to start, too.”

The attempted glare disappeared. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, _Fulcrum,_ that you’re entirely Rebel now. You’re crew…” Zeb paused, observing the mess that was former Agent Kallus. He spoke softly, trying not to spook the man. “If you wanna be.”

Kallus looked away, towards his feet. “I believe the rest of your crew would say differently. After what I did. And now I’m sitting here using up your medical supplies when there are others who need them more.”

Zeb stood there, bacta patch in hand, watching Kallus hate himself. 

Well, he wasn’t having any of that.

“Listen to me, ya idiot,” he said fondly. “You’re one of us now. Things change when you join the Rebellion. If you’re true to us, what you did before is forgotten.”

Gently, he lifted Kallus’s chin so he was making eye contact once more. Zeb leaned in and repeated a gesture he’d seen Hera use on the human crew members many times: he kissed Kallus’s forehead.

Kallus had his eyes closed when Zeb pulled back, his mouth slightly agape. If it weren’t for his injuries, Zeb might have seen if Kallus would let him do more. But for now, all Zeb could do was take care of him.

So he did, placing the bacta patch over Kallus’s eye, gently making sure the adhesive edges stuck. Kallus leaned into his hand.

“Liked that, didja?” Zeb asked.

Kallus looked up at him with his uninjured eye. “Zeb, I–”

Covering his mouth with a finger, Zeb cut him off. “Get better. Then we’ll talk.”

Kallus nodded. “Thank you… Zeb. For all this.”

Zeb nodded. He didn’t have the right words, but he didn’t have to say them. Kallus knew what he meant. 

Zeb would be right there waiting for him when he healed.

**Author's Note:**

> Come find me on tumblr and flail over Rebels and Kalluzeb! [hixystix](https://hixystix.tumblr.com/) is my main blog, and [x-wing-junkie](https://x-wing-junkie.tumblr.com/) is my _Star Wars_ blog. New friends always welcome!


End file.
